Shocks Head to New Orleans and Houston

[pogo]

Thanks for all of the coverage.

[WuDrWu]

Lambo not pleased with back row play. Got out with the win, but not thrilled. Being in a different building with them pumped to play a ranked team was part of it.

I realize most everyone knows it, but it's not often talked about. The grind of travel. Not sleeping in your own bed. Odd meal times (think about a 7pm game for instance). It's not the MLB either, they're toting their own gear. Most of these young ladies are also up until all hours studying as well.

Not the easiest thing to overcome. Road wins are to be cherished, celebrated and not taken in a trivial manner.

[flyingMoose]

I realize most everyone knows it, but it's not often talked about. The grind of travel. Not sleeping in your own bed. Odd meal times (think about a 7pm game for instance). It's not the MLB either, they're toting their own gear. Most of these young ladies are also up until all hours studying as well.

Not the easiest thing to overcome. Road wins are to be cherished, celebrated and not taken in a trivial manner.

I don't disagree.

He had made a comment earlier (coach's show? pre-match with Mike?) that he didn't think the back row was chasing down enough balls. Unfortunately, Kelly Broussard has run out of eligibility. In post-match comments, he noted that practice this past week had emphasized offense and little, if any, time has been spent on defense. Some time would spent this coming week on defense.

[1972Shocker]

We are what we are at the Libero and DS positions and I'm not sure there I a whole lot more we can get out of the current group although Lambo would be a much better judge of that than I.

Giorgia Civita is a very good Libero I believe but she is not the quickest or most athletic of liberos especially post knee-surgery. Giorgia's strengths do not including running down balls. IMO her strengths are positioning and anticipation. She seems to have a natural ability for anticipating where to set up or what is coming. Add to that her ability to handle the hottest attacks and you have a pretty effective Libero.

Hannah's diminutive size also works against her at times as her limited reach sometimes prevents her from reaching ball that a lot of Liberos and Defensive Specialists might handle.

Gabi Mostrom may be a player we could get a bit more out of. She can make outstanding plays but she also can make some stinkers and tends to have problems with overpasses more so than others. If she could get a bit more consistent that would help. Would like to see her close out her senior year strong.

One place where injury may be coming into play is with Jenny Whitledge. Jenny may well have been the most athletic player on the Shockers roster prior to her knee and leg injury at the beginning of last season and I am wondering she simply has been able to fully recover from that both physically and mentally. Lambo made a comment earlier in the year that implied maybe Jenny just does not have confidence in her injured leg and that is something he can't coach. However, there is a reason jenny has only played on 17 of 56 sets this season. You have to feel bad of Jenny.

But Lambo is the mad scientist and perhaps he will figure out a way to squeeze a couple more gets per set out this group by the end of the season.

[1972Shocker]

Lambo said Houston is like a lot of other AAC teams that play well at home and have the athletes that can beat you if they can keep their error rate at around 15% or better. He said Houston does the small ball stuff well. That stack up good in the serve and pass stats and have held their opponents to a low hitting percentage. So if they can keep their errors down they can be dangerous.

Said they just beat the storm out of New Orleans by a couple of hours.

Would like to see his team get off to a better start. He says he can challenge them but being ready to play more a player thing than a coaching thing.

[1972Shocker]

Shocks get off to their good start opending up an 11-5 lead forcing Houston to take a timeout.

Shocks no hitting errors while Houston has 4 kills and 4 errors. 2 of those blocks involving Abbie.

[1972Shocker]

Shocks extend the lead to 15-7 and Houston takes its 2nd and final timeout.

It's the Abbie Lehman show so far with 6 kills on 7 attempts plus a couple of blocks.

[1972Shocker]

Shocks win Set 1 by a score of 25-14.

The Shocks hit .375 to .073 for the Cougars.

[1972Shocker]

Shocker blowout at 25-8 in Set 2.

Abbie Lehman apparently has decided she is going to have roasted Cougars for lunch today. After 2 sets Abbie is 13-0-17 = .765 plus leading the Shocks in blocks.

Shocks hitting .426 to -.014 for the Cougars over the 1st two sets.

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks jumped out to a 7-0 lead in Set 3 but Houston fought back and it is now 15-14 Shockers as the Shocks use a timeout.

I can't say if the Shocks relaxed and lost focus are if Houston just decided not to go out meekly.

[1972Shocker]

Good time out by Lambo. Shocks come out after the TO and extend the lead to 20-15 forcing a Houston time out.

[1972Shocker]

Shock finish off the sweep with a 25-18 win in Set 3 but perhaps gave Lambo some practice fodder in Set 3.

This team has had a bit of a tendency to give up big leads now and then, although, they do a good job of responding in those situations.

[1972Shocker]

Lambo very happy with the team's start.

Mikaela making some strides with her approach although it isn't really showing up on the scoreboard yet.

Then someone pulled the plug. Now there is a surprise.

[flyingMoose]

Mikaela making some strides with her approach although it isn't really showing up on the scoreboard yet.

This improvement is after yet another instance of an offensive rotation. That is, she has to figure out again how to contribute.

Abby Pugh, a redshirt freshman, got a swing and a point late in the third. She is from Brenham, a little over an hour away from Houston.

[shocks02]

6-0 vs. 6-0 on Friday? Should be a big one.